Blackbird's Feather
by NotAKitty
Summary: "It wasn't like Crow to disappear like that. And he seemed..distracted...somehow" Set after the WRGP arc. Crow becomes involved with a girl who eventually turns out to be something more than human. The bonds that hold the group together are tested once more as evil threatens to rise again. Crow x OC, T for some violence/language/romance in future chapters. First fic.
1. Disappearances

_Ok__,,,this is my first fanfic. It's just an idea that's been in my head for ages..._

_I've used the English names for the characters included as I'm not entirely sure of what their other names are. Old characters will be making appearances._

* * *

As far as the week had gone so far it was safe to say that the day hadn't been brilliant. The freak storm from the day before had brought down several large trees and part of the pier had flooded. Security, as a result, had issued a temporary ban on driving or turbo duelling while the trees were removed and the pier dried off. It was frustrating to say the least; the guys had been hoping to test out a new engine design on the roads, given that it hadn't blown up the test runner. With the ban in place, they had to settle for staying in and replacing worn parts on their bikes, something that no one was happy about; especially Jack, who had been complaining solidly for the last two hours or so. Crow had been sent, on foot, to the garage on the other side of town to search for parts. In truth, Yusei was going to go himself but quickly realising that, left on their own, Jack and Crow were going to end up killing each other, he had reluctantly suggested that Crow go instead. He would have asked Jack but Crow was less likely to complain about getting his hair wet. Speaking of Crow...Jack, thankfully, had stopped complaining for two seconds,

"Hey Yusei, where the deuce is Crow, he went ages ago."

Out of frustration, Yusei retorted angrily "what are you asking me for? How should I know?"

Bruno, who had been sitting quietly staring at the computer, decided to weigh in, "he has been gone for quite some time, do you think he's ok, maybe we should go and.."

"...Of course he's ok, he's just trying to make us worry." Jack cut in.

"Actually I think he's just trying to stay away from you as long as possible." That did it. Jack's ego fired up and they both went off on what would have been the start of World War III if Crow hadn't walked in at that exact moment, a box loaded with spare parts clutched in his arms.

"Hey guys, sorry I took so uuhhhhhhh what's going on?"

"You've just stopped the fight, shortened the war by five years and saved millions of lives." Yusei didn't bother asking what had taken so long, Jack had already beaten him to it. He had been worried for a while though. It wasn't like Crow to disappear like that. And he seemed..distracted...somehow

When Jack had finally finished yelling at Crow, they all settled into the familiar lull of working on their duel runners. Yusei pushed worries about Crow to the back of his mind where he could mull over them later, and busied himself in his runner.

* * *

A week later Crow went AWOL again. Although Bruno had seen him as he left, he had left no explanation to where he was going or why. Now Yusei was worried, sitting on the couch in the room above the garage, he wondered whether or not he should voice his concerns out loud, Leo burst in, closely followed by Luna.

"Hey guys...wait where's Crow?" Leo looked around, as if he thought Crow was hiding somewhere behind the furniture and was going to jump out at any moment.

"You tell us. This is his latest trick. Disappearing without telling anyone where he's going or how long he's gonna be." Jack's fist landed heavily on the table, causing a miniature tidal wave in his coffee cup. Akiza looked confused.

"But I saw him on my way over. Looked like he was going downtown..." She trailed off as Leo reached into his bag and brought out a pair of binoculars. "Ummm, Leo? Why do you have a pair of binoculars in your bag?"

"Well, we were going through a load of old stuff, looking for things to throw out and I found my old binoculars..."

"...which aren't really that old, he got them last Christmas and stuck them in his closet and forgot about them. Anyway he found them two days and found out that if he's was high enough up off the ground then he can see some of the turbo duel lanes directly. And since they're the latest in "spyware" technology he can kinda hear what the duellists are saying too so now he's saying that it's like the perfect way for him to learn about duelling and stuff so he wanted to show you." Luna cut in as Leo put the gadget to his eyes and stared out of the window.

"Right that's the bridge, the library, the coffee shop..."

"WithOUT the running commentary Leo."

"Ok ok get off my back. Let's see...huh?" He pulled the binoculars from his eyes, blinked and stared at them for a moment before putting them back to his face. "OHMYGOD!"

"What?!" Everyone chorused at the same time.

"I can see Crow. He's in the restaurant at the bottom of town, ya know the one where we went to for your fourth birthday, it kinda sucked but still...and...I think he's got a girl with him."

"WHAT!? Give me those." Jack shoved Leo out of the way and put the binoculars to his eyes, following the street until his eyes rested on the restaurant were Crow supposedly was. Like Leo, he did a double take. "He's actually right. But there's absolutely no way he's on a date, no way, this must be something else, maybe there were no other tables and she was forced to sit with him."

"Jack, the place is nearly empty, and she looked pretty happy talking to him." Leo chimed in, interrupting Jack's ranting denial.

"So...who is she then?"

"Only one way to find out" Yusei said, reaching for the phone.


	2. Meeting Mikki

_Crow had been having a great day, the meal and the company had both been amazing. As a whole, it had been a pretty good. That was...until his phone rang..._

"Oh, hey Yusei" he tried not to let his voice show his annoyance. He hadn't actually wanted to answer but fearing the lecture he'd get if he didn't he had reluctantly picked up. "What's up?"

"Nothing much. Where are you? Aside from Bruno none of us have seen you since last night and we were getting worried about..." The phone abruptly went silent for a few moments.

"Right listen up you little pipsqueak!" Jack's bellowing voice shattered the silence. Crow winced and pulled the phone slightly away from his head. "I don't know what you're up to...and quite frankly I don't even give a stuff...but what I do want to know is who the girl is. And don't tell me that she's your girlfriend or something 'cus we both know that's not true." A few moments passed where neither or them spoke.

"Uhh, how do you know I'm with someone?" Crow asked, somewhat suspiciously.

"Leo brought binoculars and...it's a long story! And stop avoiding the question, who is she!?" Jack demanded. Another silence followed. He was just about to start ranting again as the phone was taken out of Crow's hand and a female voice resounded down the line.

"Well you did tell him not tell you." She sounded vaguely amused and Jack could hear her laughing as Crow took the phone back.

"Tell ya what, I'll bring her back so you can meet her." He sounded anything but pleased. Again, Jack could hear her laughing in the background.

"Well it's about time. You can't hide me away for ever Crow." Her tone was light...teasing, "I gotta say, I was beginning to think that you were ashamed of me."

"We'll be there in a few minutes". Crow hung up, turning back to her, his grey eyes serious. "Of course I'm not ashamed of you." He moved his hand to cover hers, "how could you even think that?"

"I was joking Crow...now come on, I wanna meet your friends." Standing up, they paid for the meal and then left the restaurant, walking hand in hand across the car park. Sitting astride his runner, Crow passed her the spare helmet and started the engine as she climbed on behind him, encircling her arms around his waist and flattening her body gently against his, sighing in content. He chuckled softly before setting off.

Her own runner was in disrepair after a turbo duel had ended badly the night before. She'd apologised over and over again for having to use his runner. He hadn't minded, not one bit. In fact, it had been a pleasant surprise when she had, grudgingly, admitted to him that her bike would be out of order for the next week. Although the damage wasn't extensive, she didn't have the parts to completely fix it. In fairness she'd done what she could; now she was just waiting for the owner of the garage to get back from his annual holiday, the only two weeks of the year, excluding holidays and his birthday where the garage was closed. Crow had been the one to offer her a lift; an offer she couldn't really refuse. Pulling out of the car park they headed uptown, to where his friends were waiting, anxiously, not quite knowing what to expect.

* * *

At the sound of an approaching duel runner, Yusei flipped the switch to open the door, just in time for the Blackbird to cruise in. Two people were sitting atop it, one of them Crow and the other the unknown girl that he had been presumably disappearing in order to see. She got off first and waited patiently for him to walk the bike backwards into its usual space. He held his hand out for the helmet which she removed and gave to him. Cascades of irregular bronze waves fell down her back, leaving a few flyaway curls escaping from either side of her head, partially covering her face. Pulling off his own helmet, Crow turned to face the expectant group.

"Well guys...this" he said, pulling her towards him "is Mikki." Her hair fell away from her face and Yusei, along with the rest of the group, attempted to stifle a gasp. Only half of them were successful.

She wore black skinny jeans with a simple, short sleeved t-shirt, deep red in colour. The look was completed by a pair of black boots that ended half way up her calves and an oversized black leather jacket. It looked old, the buttery material was worn with use and littered with abrasions and imperfections. Black gloves covered her hands, starting at her fingertips and disappearing under the jacket sleeves. A thick piece of strangely shaped metal circled her neck. It looked a little bit like a collar in a way. As a whole she looked like an ordinary person, albeit the choice in accessories. That was, up until her face. The creamy skin that covered it was interrupted by a long, thin scar. It started at the top of her forehead, creating a path over her left eye and down her cheek and neck, disappearing into the folds of her shirt. The asymmetric look was emphasised by mismatched eyes, the right one a deep shade of sea blue and the left, the lid and surface of the orb partly disrupted by the raw edge of the wound, seemed to be an odd shade of purple, some of the blue visible in her right eye clumsily circling her pupil.

Not that Crow appeared to care. He looped one arm around her and turned to face the group. "So...whadd'ya think?" He was met with a dazed silence.

Mikki sighed, "look, just say it...believe me when I say that it's actually weirder when nobody mentions the uhh..." she gestured towards her face "...the big fat scary scar." Several more moments went by in silence.

"So, where'd it come from?" Leo's curiosity finally got the better of him.

"Leo!" Luna scolded him.

"Ex boyfriend, picking guys isn't really a strong suit..." She paused. "As you can probably tell by current boyfriend." Jack burst out laughing, soon joined by the others as Crow realised she was referring to him.

"HEY!"

She joined in the laughter, "aww Crow, you know I'm just joking." But, joke or not, it had worked. First appearances forgotten, ice broken, the group, plus Mikki went upstairs, sat down and began talking as if they had known each other for years.

* * *

"So. Where did you and Crow meet?" Akiza's eyes glittered at the prospect of a romantic first encounter, even one including Crow.

"At the garage a few weeks ago, ya know that huge storm that pretty much brought New Domino to a standstill 'cause the power lines went off right in the middle of the movie marathon that nearly everyone in the city was watching? Yeah, the day after that."

"Oh." Romantic scenario crushed, she was about to ask her next question when Jack interrupted.

"So THAT's why you were so late back a few weeks ago." Still addressing Crow, he continued. "You told me that the parts you went to fetch were buried under a load of junk so it took you hours just to find them."

"Load a' junk? I'd love to watch you say to Denn." Mikki chuckled, "granted he's not the tidiest person in the world but if he hears you talkin' like that 'bout his business then trust me, tidiness will be the least of your worries. And in Crow's defence, that's kinda true, but hours is a bit of an exaggeration."

"Yeah maybe...but to be honest I'm glad it's such a dump. Wouldn'a met ya if it hadn't been."

"Yeah, I suppose. But now you will now forever be the living embodiment of the term 'man look'." She gave him a pointed look, but the happiness in her eyes betrayed her expression.

"Ummm...anyone for a drink?" Crow offered. After receiving several replies for drink orders, and telling Jack that if he wanted coffee from over the road he could go and get it himself, Crow slipped into the kitchen and switched the kettle on. He could hear the group talking in the other room. It sounded as if they had started going into specifics of how he and Mikki had met. Pretty simple really, he couldn't find the parts he needed and, seeing this, she'd come over to help. They'd started talking and it had just...gone from there.

He almost didn't hear Yusei walk in.

"So...she seems nice."

"Ya really think so?"

"Yeah. Granted first impressions weren't great but, well, she doesn't seem that bothered about it so...why should I? Why didn't you introduce her sooner? I was getting worried when you kept going missing. Still, she's alright. Good sense of humour. Gotta say though, not really the kind of girl I would've pictured you with. Then again, I'm not actually sure what kind of girl I would've pictured you with." They both laughed. "She must be pretty special."

"Yeah." Crow let his eyes wander wistfully towards the door before turning back to Yusei, "Yeah, she really is."


	3. Questions

As the weeks passed, Mikki started to become part of the group. She regularly visited the garage to help out the guys with their runners. When rumours of a new Grand Prix hit the city, Yusei, Jack, Crow and Bruno went into overdrive, making any and every adjustments to their bikes in the hope that it might just give them the edge over any competition. It was in times like this that Mikki came into her own. Although she had no desire to enter herself, she did everything she could to help them. Developing programs seemed to be second nature to her, and with Crow's trust and Yusei and Bruno's help, she started creating a program that would bring out the very best in their rides. During breaks from the program, she ran errands and located spare parts for them. Due to her connections all over the city, it didn't take her long to find second hand items of good quality.

Her help was greatly appreciated by Yusei, who soon found he had more much needed time to work on the runners. When the others had left to work or go to school, or in Jack's case, the coffee shop; she brought him food and drink to keep him going. Often, when she had the time to, she offered to stay with him. He enjoyed her company. Although the silence was peaceful, he preferred having someone there to talk to. Anyone really. They didn't really talk about anything in particular...just anything that came into their heads. Once he'd asked her about the collar-like thing around her neck and she'd politely but somewhat coldly asked him to leave the issue alone. He hadn't mentioned it since.

* * *

Finally, the Prix was officially announced to the world as the Divine Token Cup, and the whole city, duellists and fans alike, went nuts. Because of the early start the program and any other adjustments were almost finished, so the group started devising a team to enter. The difference with this Grand Prix was that there was no limit to team numbers...or age, meaning that Leo and Luna had the opportunity to enter on their duel boards. The only thing was that each team had to have an even number. The reason hadn't been revealed yet but Bruno guessed it was something to do with tag duels.

Jack, Crow, Yusei, Bruno, Akiza, Leo and Luna made seven meaning that someone either had to drop out or join. Crow had immediately asked Mikki to fill in and after much debate, she had finally agreed, not wanting to prevent someone else from duelling. With that the team was complete. All they needed was a name. Luna suggested keeping 5d's but had been verbally overruled by Jack, as many were, who insisted that they "re-brand." Eventually they agreed to change the team name. To what though was another matter. Sensing another argument, Mikki made a sharp exit, leaving them to sort it out on their own, assuring them that the name didn't really make that much difference to her so they could pick whatever they liked.

Finally, after much arguing, mostly from Jack, they settled on the name Team Crimson, pretty tacky to anyone that knew about the Signers and the Crimson Dragon. To anyone else though, it would just be another team name.

* * *

It was late. Leo, Luna and Akiza had left over an hour ago but the boys were still up. Not doing much, just...talking. Mikki seemed to be the favourite topic of conversation, as despite meeting her week ago, not much was really known about her by anyone except Crow.

"So..what's with the collar?" Ever since he'd asked her before the question had been burned into Yusei's mind.

Crow deflated slightly, "I don't know. She won't even tell me. If I bring it up she just goes really quiet and won't talk to me. After a while I kinda worked out it was better to just, leave it alone. I'm pretty sure that its not her choice to wear it though. My guess is that it's the same guy who gave her the scar." His hands bunched into fists, "I swear, if I ever find that guy then...I don't know what I'm gonna do to him."

"Somehow Crow...I doubt that you'd have much luck." Jack joined the conversation, and Bruno turned his head to face them.

"As much as I hate to admit it Crow, Jack's got a point. I mean...whoever did that to her must be pretty twisted. And if the story that it was her ex boyfriend is true then, well...imagine what else he could do." Crow inhaled a shaky breath in an attempt to control himself as Bruno's words rang true in his ears.

"I guess you're right, but still...if I ever find him..." He trailed off.

"Well, I hate to disrupt your little murder plans but we've got more important things to worry about...like the Divine Token Cup. According to Trudge, sign up is in two days but there's an opening party tomorrow for all teams planning to attend. They're going to explain the rules there so I think we should go."

"Yeah I know, the new Director is gonna be introduced there as well."

Jack looked confused, "how do you know about it?"

"Mikki's making the food for it and she told me. I said I'd help her get the food there." Crow shrugged. "That's why she left early. She has to finish making the food."

"So she's a caterer?" That was news to Yusei.

"Yeah. Small home-run business. She's not registered as an organisation or anything. It's more a friendly, informal service that you hear about in a conversation if someone brings it up. She doesn't get many orders, the fact that she's not a professional...I dunno, it turns people off."

"Must be tough."

"Nahh, she doesn't mind."

They talked late into the night, until fatigue forced them to part and go to bed. Lying in his, Crow let his mind wander at the questions that had been asked that night. He hadn't actually thought that much into any of them but now he couldn't seem to shake them from his mind. After another hour of tossing answers around in his head, he gave up and went to sleep, making a mental note to start investigating further in the morning.


	4. Goodwin's Return

The next day dawned. Everyone started preparing for the night to come. In all honesty, none of them really wanted to go, but they couldn't exactly get out of it. Mikki worked hard, stuck on overdrive for the whole day. Crow did what he could to help, transporting the goods as she made them, freeing up space and saving her a job later in the day. She appreciated it and would've told him so, that was if she wasn't that worried about burning the food. Besides, her head was otherwise occupied, thinking about the party. She knew what would happen there, and she knew how it would end. All she didn't know was how she'd explain herself, or how they'd take it.

* * *

It was an hour before the party was due to start, but the group had been called there early by Mina, who had hurriedly informed them that the new Director wanted to speak to them before the party started. Curious, they had agreed to arrive early. Crow was already there and promised to meet them outside.

When they got to the hall, sure enough, Crow was waiting. They entered the building, now slightly nervous of what might happen. Mina, accompanied by Trudge, met them inside leading them up the staircase and along a short corridor.

"So, Mina?" Akiza asked timidly. "Any idea why we've been called here. I mean, why does the new Director want to see us before the party?"

"If you ask me, this situation is suspect" Jack grumbled.

Trudge replied quickly "Well it's a good thing that no one did then, isn't it?"

As they neared the end of the corridor, sounds of laughter became louder...familiar in some way. Stopping in front of one of the doors, Mina took in a quick breath to compose herself before knocking. She didn't wait for a reply and opened he door, gesturing for the group to go in. Yusei stepped through first, his eyes narrowing at the people in the room, all of which he knew. As the others entered the room, they emitted similar responses.

"Goodwin." Yusei said darkly as the figures turned to face the group.

* * *

Rex Goodwin stood next to Lazar, unsurprised by the reaction. Jack was the first to recover from the initial shock.

"What the hell is going on. When you didn't come back we thought it was for good!"

"You might want to calm down Jack." Lazar's patronising voice cut through the tirade, "or I'll have no choice but to call security and have you escorted out of the building."

"Do that and I'll have no choice but to kick your creepy, little ass into the end of next week. Mikki came in through an open door leading out onto a balcony. "I mean it Lazar, I've been wanting to do that ever since I met you, all I need is a reason" she said, crossing her arms over her chest. Another figure stepped into the room behind her. Again, eyes narrowed as Roman took his place beside his brother.

"What's going on is that the city cannot function properly without somebody in charge. New Domino needs guidance if it is to live and thrive. That is why we are here. My brother and I are taking over the role of Director. Hopefully, with both of us standing as a united front, neither one of us will be tempted to stray from the true path of life again. We invited you here before the evening started because.."

"...Because they knew that it would be less painful to have the eruptions here than in a crowded room full of innocent people." Mikki finished for him, "well not in those exact words but...ya know, something like that."

"You know them?" Yusei asked in a state of disbelief.

Lazar answered for her "Mikki has been closely acquainted with the new Directors for many years now." Mikki glared at him.

"I can speak for myself Lazar. One more stunt like that and I will not be held responsible for my actions."

"Now now Mikki, control yourself" Roman smirked as he spoke. "It would be most unfortunate for Rex and I if the moment we became Directors, somebody was murdered." Mikki scoffed but held her tongue.

"Uhh Mikki?" Crow turned away from Rex to face her. "Do you have any idea what these two did?"

"Not exactly but I know the important stuff. Roman's an ex dark signer who bore the mark of the spider and Rex tried to take over the world using the powers of both the light and the darkness. You guys stopped him though." Turning to Rex she added, "pretty much making him one of the worst kind of villains. Ya know, the ones that go on and on about the beginnings of new eras and ancient prophesies and stuff, but when it actually comes down to doing something, they kinda suck eggs." Noticing the tension still in the room she sighed and gave each of them very pointed looks. "Come on, you mean to tell that none of you have ever done something that you regret." When no one answered she sighed again, "come one guys, don't make me be a bitch." Still nothing,"look there's at least three of you with something to be sorry about, you..." she pointed at Crow "are a thief, I get it that it was for the kids but still...and Jack, tying one of your friends up in a boat so you could steal Yusei's best card and his runner, not cool. And Akiza..."

"What did I do?!"

"Do I need to say anything besides...Black Rose?" Suddenly being reminded of her past life, hot tears welled up in her eyes without actually falling. Seeing her distress, Mikki swallowed, "look I'm sorry, but you get my point. You've all been forgiven by your friends, hell, some of were enemies because of what you did. But you got past it didn't you? I'm not asking you to be BFFs but can we at least be civil here people? Come on! Like Roman said, it would be...most unfortunate for a murder to coincide with their appointment as Directors."_  
_

Leo was the first to speak, "umm, guys? I think Mikki's right." Everyone turned to look at him. "Everybody makes mistakes but...but people can be forgiven. And besides, I don't think it really matters what we say or think. They're both still gonna be Directors and there's nothin' we can do about that. I guess they're just...giving us a heads up so no one blows it at the party and..."He stopped talking, for once shy of the attention.

"Fine then." Jack crossed his arms haughtily over is chest, "let's play happy families while we wait for them to turn on us again."

"If they do I will freely admit I was wrong, and I'll help ya with the ass kicking, sound fair?"

Clapping his hands together Lazar chuckled with impish glee, "right then, we've got a party to go to"

"Is there gonna be anything good to drink, I've been told that I'm no fun at a party unless I'm the tiniest bit drunk." Mikki held up her fingers to demonstrate her use of "tiniest."

"There will be, but not for you." He smirked, "the fact is that you're under age, so allowing you to consume possibly intoxicating beverages would be careless, not to mention illegal. Am I right Officer Trudge?"

Trudge shrugged his shoulders apologetically, "Yes that's right. Sorry Mikki. Besides, if you're gonna be riding home on your runner then...it's probably best that you stay sober."

"Nuts" Advancing towards the door she grumbled "all right let's get this damn night over with." The group started to filter back out the door. Before Mikki could exit Crow caught her arm, forcing her to turn and face him.

"Is there a problem with the fact that I stole stuff? It was all for the kids so they could get the things outta life that I never did." His eyes bore into hers. Smiling, she turned her face away for a moment before meeting his eyes again.

"Course there's not a problem. In fact..." She dropped her face so her lips brushed his ear. Teasingly, she whispered "I find it sexy."

Laughing and leaving him to take that in, she left the room, heading down to the main hall, where the sounds of idle chit chat and background music had began, signalling a start to the evening. She could hear Crow's footsteps behind her, and held back slightly so they could walk down together to where the party, and the group, was waiting for them.


	5. That After-Party Duel Part 1

The party was in full swing. People were laughing, chatting, eagerly waiting in anticipation for the revealing of the new Director, and more importantly, the rules of the upcoming Divine Token Cup. Even Crow had to admit, he was glad that they had come

About halfway though the night the lights dimmed and Lazar emerged at the top of the staircase. "Greetings duellists. We hope you are having a good evening so far. Now I know that there have been many rumours that have been spread concerning just who is going to take the highly prestigious place of Director for New Domino City. Well, I'm sure that most of you will be pleased to hear that instead of a stranger oblivious to the complex needs of the city taking over, we have a familiar face joining us. However, this face does not come alone. This time, his brother will be joining him so as to cater to every individual need of every resident of New Domino." He paused to add emphasis to his speech, and to scan the room quickly, searching for uninterested parties. "And now, without further ado, it is my pleasure to introduce Directors Rex and Roman Goodwin." He held out his arm towards the pair as they descended down the stairs.

At the familiar name, the crowds went wild, cheering and clapping endlessly, until Goodwin held up his hand, requesting silence. "Welcome to all of you. May I start by saying what a privilege it is to be Director of this wonderful city."

"Creep" Jack muttered under his breath.

"Let me first introduce you all to my brother Roman, the person who will be working alongside me in ensuring that this city is run as efficiently and as well as possible." Applause followed. "And now, to more important matters. The upcoming Divine Token Cup promises to be an unforgettable event for duellists and spectators alike. Now there has been some confusion due the even number restriction on participating teams. Allow me to explain. The sole purpose of this Grand Prix is to find not just the best duellists the world has to offer but how duellists conduct themselves as part of a team. Each round will be a tag duel, meaning that duellists will have to work together in order to come out on top." He raised both of his arms into the air, addressing the whole room. "Each team, no matter how many members, will start with 8,000 life points. Players can substitute in at any time but if 4,000 or more life points are lost then whoever is out on the field at that time will have to switch with another two players. More will be explained on the day but both my brother and I will be available if there are any questions concerning the rules of the tournament that have so far gone unanswered. Now please, everyone enjoy the rest of the evening. We hope to see you all at the sign up tomorrow. Thank you all and good evening."

Both Roman and Rex continued down the stairs as applause rocked the room.

* * *

The night was almost at an end. People were starting to leave and staff poured into the room to begin clearing up, not that there was much to clean up. Empty plates and confetti were the main source of the mess, the plates an obvious indication that the food had been a hit.

Mikki plopped down in the seat next to Crow, a mischievous grin tugging her lips into a smile.

"What ya smilin' like that for?" Crow eyed her doubtfully.

"Let's just say I never thought I'd love the people at parties who spike the punch bowl." She raised a glass to her mouth. Crow gave her the 'look'. "What? It's really watered down, don't know why they even bothered putting it in." She went for another sip but Crow deftly took the glass off her. "Oh come on Crow, I'm not drunk...that's only my second glass and like I said, it's really watered down."

"You are kidding me right? You're driving home, drink-driving's illegal, even I know that."

"Not only illegal but...inadvisable." Bruno chipped in.

Mikki sighed, staring at the table, "look, I'm just trying to psyche myself up for what's going to happen in about..." She looked at her watch, "four minutes."

"Why, what's gonna happen?"

"You'll find out." Standing up she added, "let's go."

* * *

_Note: There will be a duel in this part so for every monster card, I will put the attack and defence points in brackets after the name. Lifepoints will be put in italics as they change over the course of the duel. Also, some of the names of the cards are those of creatures of legend from different cultures. I do not own those names._

* * *

Walking across the car park, Crow's mind was full of questions, _"w__hat had Mikki meant when she said that they'd find out?" "Find out what?" "Why did she need to psyche herself up?" _His mental tirade was cut short as a figure stepped out of the shadows in front of them, blocking their path. He heard Mikki mutter something about almost getting away with it.

The figure was male, with a lanky build and a piercing gaze that scrutinised the whole group before focusing on Mikki. He wore black gloves, identical to her's, as was the piece of metal circled around his neck. He opened his mouth to speak, and the cold, emotionless tone of his voice made Crow shudder slightly. "Mikki, Daughter of Darius, I am Logan, a Son of Alexander."

"And I am Hayley, a Daughter of Alexander." The voice came from behind them. Startled, they turned around. The girl carried the same look in her piercing eyes, a look that went straight through them. Like the other figure, she also wore black gloves, and the same metallic contraption fixed tightly around her neck. _"Ok...what is with the look? Is it some new fad I haven't heard about? And what's with the Daughter/ Son of whatever about?"_

Logan narrowed his eyes and smiled, way too creepily for Crow's liking.. "Our master is in the process of recruiting new people to join his cause. We've been trusted with the task of delivering them to him."

"Well isn't that a coincidence, mine is doing the same thing...and he's trusted me with exactly the same task. So how about we stop talking and just get on with it? It'll be good to strike you two off of my debt." Mikki met his expression levelly, no trace of fear evident on her face.

"As you wish." The girl, Hayley, circled the group to stand next to Logan. "Although I believe it will us striking you off of our debts."

"How does that work? I'm just one person so only one will be struck off of one of your debts."

"You'll see." Hayley grinned sadistically, "let's duel."

At that, all three of them removed their gloves. Underneath each left glove was a thin metal band, similar to ones hung around their necks. They all fell silent and still, measuring each other's reactions. Then in one fluid move, Logan lifted his arm to his neck, closely followed not even a second later by Mikki and Hayley. As the bands met, they clicked and disengaged, dramatically changing shape and uncurling, locking into place on their wrists while tabs and slots appeared, shaping the devices into ones that Crow knew well. Duel disks. But these looked different to the ones he was used to. More...intimidating. Although that could be to do with the fact that where the neck of the duel disk reached up the arm, the edge sharpened into a point. It looked dangerous.

The three of them pulled their decks out and loaded them into each duel disk. "Ya might wanna move, this could get messy." Mikki didn't even turn around the deliver the advice. When they all stayed put she turned, "MOVE!" They backed off towards the side slowly.

"Right then...Let's begin." A screen flashed up on each disk showing lifepoints, 4,000 each for Hayley and Logan, and 8,000 for Mikki.

"I'm going first." Logan quickly claimed the first move. "I draw!" He studied the cards in his hand.

"How rude, there are two ladies in this duel as well you know. Shouldn't a gentleman let the women have the honour of going first?" Mikki asked coyly. "But then again, I can hardly call you a gentleman."

"Indeed. But you might think I'm worse after I summon** Bysen the Mischief** in defence mode (Attack-300, Defence-1,800). The monster looked vaguely like a gnome.

"What's so great about him?"

"Oh, you'll find out soon enough. But for now you'll have to settle for this. I activate Bysen's special ability. If he's the only monster on my field then I get to summon another monster from anywhere in my deck, so say hello to **Ratatoskr** (Attack- 1,300, Defence, 1,300). And now...I play the spell card** Damaging Differences**, which works out pretty well considering I can't attack on my first turn. If I have two monsters on my field then this card allows me to hit you with the difference in their attack and defence points as direct damage. So..." He continued with a glint in his eye "if we add together the 1,000 point difference in attack to the 500 point difference in defence well...that means you're getting hit with 1,500 points of damage."

"I can count, ya know."

He ignored her "This might sting a little."

A second later, she was enveloped by the beam that shot from the card. As the light died down, Crow could see the damage. It was real.

_LP-6,500_

"You done yet?" Mikki called. She didn't seem that bothered. He smiled at her.

"I end my turn."

"My move then." Mikki drew a card from her deck, "and I think I'll start by summoning the monster **Asrai, the Water Spirit** to my field in defence mode (Attack-200, Defence-2,000). And because opposites attract I can summon **Hitodama the Fire Spirit** (Attack-2,000, Defence-200) directly from my deck." The monster appeared in a blazing flash of light, so bright that Logan and Hailey lifted their arms to block it out. "And now, I'll place three cards face down and end my turn."

"Why didn't she attack?" Leo was beyond confused, "She had the opportunity and the power so why didn't she?

Jack was the one to answer. "No idea, let's just hope she's got a plan to back this up."


	6. That After-Party Duel Part 2

_BTW I will be using some already existing cards in this chapter_

* * *

_"Why didn't she attack?" Leo was beyond confused, "She had the opportunity and the power so why didn't she?_

_Jack was the one to answer. "No idea, let's just hope she's got a plan to back this up."_

* * *

"My turn!" Hailey scanned her hand, grinning widely.

"Hey! Ever heard of poker face?"

"Shut up. I summon the **Imperial Sweetheart **(Attack-1,200, Defence-800) to my field in attack mode."

"Oh hell, a Sweetheart deck? You've gotta be kidding me"

"And now I can get a little bonus, courtesy of my Sweetheart's ability. Once a turn her defence points turn into lifepoints."_ (LP-4,800) "_And it gets better, during my standby phase, she actually regains the defence points she lost, meaning that this cycle is gonna go on for a very long time."

"Great." Mikki replied, sarcasm heavy in her voice.

"Now I play the spell card **Sweetheart's Lure **which forces one of your monsters into attack mode. And seeing as your **Asrai** is the only one of your monsters in defence mode then I guess it's got to be that. And now that your monster is powerless, **Imperial Sweetheart, **attack **Asrai the Water Spirit**!"

"I activate my **Hitodama**'s special ability. If I have two monsters on my field and the one you attack has less attack points than **Hitodama **then _it_ becomes the target of your attack instead. Unfortunately your monster isn't destroyed by the effect but you still take damage. And because **Hitodama **didn't attack last turn, the damage you get due to its special effect is doubled, so instead of 800 points, you're taking 1,600 instead." _(LP-3,600)_

Hailey growled, "I place two cards face down and end my turn."_  
_

"My move again then", Mikki smiled mockingly at the pair. She drew a card.

"Not so fast, I activate my face down **Sweet Sacrifice**! This card allows me to destroy my **Imperial Sweetheart** in order to summon three **Sweetheart Tokens** (Attack-0, Defence-0). Now they may not look like much, but these tokens can't be destroyed in battle, no matter how powerful the monster. And they can only be attacked once per turn. However if you do attack them, then for each one, I can add a card to my hand."

"They're all stuck in attack mode though."She added the card to her hand, picking another and laying it on her duel disk. "Continuing with the elemental spirits theme, I summon **Sylph the Air Spirit** (Attack-1,000, Defence-1,000) in attack mode. And I think I'll use its special ability. Something I like to call Suffocation. Once per turn I can choose a monster on the field and reduce its attack and defence points to zero. And I think I'll choose **Ratatoskr**." Logan's eyes narrowed. "Then I release my **Asrai **in order to bring to the field **Hydra **(Attack-2,100, Defence- 2,000). And if you don't know the legend surrounding the mighty **Hydra** then let me give you a quick history lesson. The Lernaean Hydra is from Greek mythology; an ancient serpent-like water beast that possessed reptilian features and several heads. According to legend, each time one of its heads was cut off, another two appeared in its place. Its lair was the lake of Lerna, and it was the guardian of the entrance of the underworld. In the end though..."

"The _mighty_ Hydra of Lerna was killed by Hercules"

"You do know your stuff." She looked at him approvingly. "But it doesn't matter. Although its special ability does link in with the myth surrounding it. Not only can it attack twice per turn, but if it's destroyed then two more come back to the field, each with half the attack and defence points of the original. Now, I think **Hydra's **gonna have a little fun attacking one of your **Sweetheart Tokens**"

"Afraid not, I play the trap card **Sweet Surrender** which activates when one of your monsters attacks one of mine."

"What's it do then?"

"It negates your attack and sends your monster to the graveyard. Although I would have loved to let you suffer damage due to my token's special effect well...I just think that this way will piss you off more. Bye bye snakey thing." She mocked.

"Just before you do that I'll play a trap of my own. It's called **Watery Grave** and activates when **Hydra **is sent to the graveyard. Say buh bye to one of your tokens 'cus **Watery Grave** allows **Hydra** to take a monster with it. Oh, and did I mention my monster's special ability? Linking back to the legend surrounding it, when it gets destroyed two more appear on the field in its place. Each with half the attack points of the original. And..." A glint flashed in her eye, "it's still my turn, and both the new **Hydras** (Attack-1,050, Defence 1,000)can attack, only once though. So prepare yourself 'cause your although your **Sweetheart Tokens **won't be destroyed, you're still taking damage."

Both **Hydras **reared up and shot towards the tokens. The resulting damage was enough to knock Hailey off balance, and she fell hard. _LP-1,500. _She added the two cards to her hand that, thanks to her tokens, came with the attack. Without waiting for her to get up, Mikki focused her attention on Logan. "As for you and your monsters, well, one of them's not gonna be around for much longer. Know why? 'Cause Hitodama is gonna attack your **Ratatoskr **directly."**  
**

_LP-2,000_

"I end my turn."

"My move then." Logan sounded annoyed. "And I'll start by activating **Bysen's **ability. Given that he's the only monster on the field, I can summon another from my deck and the monster I choose is **Bat Olitau** (Attack-1,600, Defence-1,200)."

From the side, the group stood, transfixed on the duel. Well...not the whole group. Luna was looking at something else, trying to work out if it was real or if she was just imagining things.

"Now, **Bat Olitau** attacks your **Sylph**, and with more than two monsters on your field, your precious **Hitodama's **effect doesn't activate."

_LP-5,900_

"I place one card face down and end my turn."

"Back to me then." She faced Hailey instead of Logan. "I release one of my **Hydras** so I can activate the trap card **Spell Spirit **from my hand, which allows me to revive one of your spells and use it for myself. And I'm thinkin' that Logan's **Damaging Differences** is the perfect fit, given that the destruction of **Sylph ** and the release of one **Hydra **has left me with only two monsters on the field. Now if we add up the difference in attack and defence points, given that the **Hydra **copies have half of what the original has, well then...you're getting hit with 1,750 points of damage, meaning that...you're out." Hailey screamed as the spell's effects hit her. She was battered and bruised, and knowing what was to come following Logan's inevitable defeat she sank to the ground and waited for her fate.

Turning to Logan, Mikki grinned, "Don't worry, you'll be joining her soon, sooner than you know. I activate my face down **Brutal Potion**. Because you took damage from a card effect this turn, I can add 1,000 attack points to one of my monsters until the standby phase. So my **Hydra's **gettin' a little power boost. And now...I think **Hitodama's** gonna attack your **Bat Olitau**."

"Don't think so, I play the trap card **Slip of Fortune**, which stops your attack and removes the attacking monster from the field until the next standby phase. Now, even if you land a successful hit on **Bat Olitau **with your snake, the damage won't be enough to remove me from the game. And what I've got planned for next round is gonna' make sure that the only one being removed is you."**  
**

"You, poor, sad, stupid little boy." She shook her head disapprovingly. "I guess Hailey was the one with the knowledge of myths. And the good memory." To his blank face she added, "**Hydra...**can attack twice per turn." His face fell as he realised what she was saying. Helpless, he watched as her monster took out his. Suddenly, the pain became real and raw and the world blurred as **Hydra** reared up once more, and at Mikki's command sailed towards him. He shut his eyes at the last moment before it struck. It was over...

* * *

The duel had ended, but Mikki still had a job to do. She walked over to the pair and knelt so she was nearer to their height. "Don't mess with something you can't handle." Her words were dark and foreboding.

"Sound advice Mikki." A cold voice came from the other side of the car park. He walked towards them, and Mikki straightened up as he approached. A figure stepped out of the shadows. Unlike Logan, he had a distinguishable form. Anything other than 'lanky'. The muscles on his upper body were well-defined and implied an unseen strength hidden behind a wall of control. His hair was black with a blue sheen that was evident as the light shone on it. The features of his face were as sharp as his eyes, as he scanned the scene in front of him. Although similar, his clothes screamed a higher authority than that of the three figures in front of him. As did his accessories. No duel disk collar or gloves for him. On a chain around his neck hung a ring, small and brassy looking. A large silver ring adorned the ring finger of his left hand and a brown leather belt held two holsters, one for a gun and the other for a knife. His boots were also brown, heavy-duty and steel capped. One kick while wearing those could break a guy's ribs. With a sinking feeling, worry rose within him as Crow realised that that's what they were probably used for.

"Darius" Mikki breathed his name. _So this is Darius, is this what the whole Daughter of thingy's about?."_

Darius reached up and caressed the good side of Mikki's face. "You had me worried there for a second. But I should have known I could count on you." Glancing at Hailey and Logan, he stated casually "Alexander's sending quite a few after you these days isn't he? Would've thought he'd have got the message by now, given that none of them return to him. Still...well done you. A Son _and_ a Daughter. I'll strike them off your debt."

Exhaling, Mikki nodded. "Do you...want me to?"

"Well they are your catch."

With that Mikki reached out her arm, and slid the sharpened edge of the duel disk along their necks, Hailey first, Logan second. The order they went out in. They both gasped in pain at the action as dark blood, thick as syrup began to seep out. Darius removed the knife from his holster and gave it to Mikki, extending his own arms in front of her. Wordlessly, she pulled it across the skin of his wrists, and stepped back so he could kneel next to the injured pair. Placing his cut wrists over the gashes on their necks, he gestured with his eyes, and Mikki walked behind them and pushed their resisting heads harder onto Darius' arms.

"Welcome..." He smiled at both of them, mimicking Hailey's earlier sadistic grin. "...to the House of Darius."

Logan screamed in pain but Hailey stayed quiet, well aware of her destiny. After a few minutes, Darius pulled his arms away, wrapping two strips of linen around each wrist and taking the knife back from Mikki, slipping it neatly into the holster. "Come on you two, let's go." Raising his gaze to Mikki he added, "until next time, Sweetheart." With that he left, Logan and Hailey in tow.

Silence descended on the car park. Without a word, Mikki marched over to her duel runner and started the engine. She stopped as Crow's hand landed on her wrist. "You're coming back to the garage...and you're gonna explain _everything_. Ok?"

She nodded, shooting looks towards the group. They avoided her gaze, not quite knowing how to react. "You're right." That got their attention. "I am gonna explain everything. It's the least I owe you guys."


	7. Answers

_Silence descended on the car park. Without a word, Mikki marched over to her duel runner and started the engine. She stopped as Crow's hand landed on her wrist. "You're coming back to the garage...and you're gonna explain everything. OK?"_

_She nodded, shooting looks towards the group. They avoided her gaze, not quite knowing how to react. "You're right." That got their attention. "I am gonna explain everything. It's the least I owe you guys."_

* * *

"What the HELL was that about?" Mikki didn't say anything. "Well? You promised you'd tell us."

"I know I know I'm just...trying to work out where to start."

"From the beginning?" Jack suggested sarcastically.

"That's the thing, I can't remember the beginning, well not all of it."

"Liar, you do remember, you just don't want to tell us."

"Jack." Trust Yusei to be the voice of reason. "Give her a break." Turning to her , he continued, "what if, we just ask you questions and...go from there?"

At her nod he cleared his throat. "So, let's start with the obvious question...who is Darius?"

"Darius is...Darius." Crow sighed exasperatedly so she explained. "Look, he's _nothing_ to me except the guy that orders me around. He's part of a community that thrives on imprisoning the living. The more people you have, the more powerful you are. And instead of finding everyone themselves, they 'alter' people at birth and then let them grow up to go and do their dirty work for them, to gather the altered people that others have made to add to their lists. And those who lose too many, they just steal a few babies and make a couple more, just like that. But to understand, you've kinda gotta know that...technically...I'm not...human. I'm one of the altered"

"WHAT?" Similar choruses rang out. Crow stayed silent, not completely understanding.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I asked Darius the same thing when he told me, so I'll give you the same answer he gave me. It's a little long winded but it kinda works.

_'We are not something just because we act like that thing. We walk among the humans, we interact with them, we play by their rules. But we are not human. For humans possess something that we do not. Emotions. Emotions and the ability to feel. We may act the way we are expected to when exposed to them but we do not have them ourselves. It a miserable, but tolerable, life when the only thing you can feel is physical pain, but through our knowledge of what that pain feels like we can infer how to react in a situation that is instead emotionally painful. It is a sad fact to know that we are lower than animals in this state. Even the stupidest creature can feel and express emotions. We cannot. Not for real anyway. It is as I have said. We act the way we are supposed to act, and pretend to feel something that we cannot feel. We are different to them, we have been for a very long time. We have no emotions, to put it bluntly, and some way or another, you're going to have to get used to that fact.' _"

When she stopped talking, she was met by an awkward, unbelieving silence. "I don't get it." The statement came from Jack. "So you can only feel physical pain?"

"Yep, it kinda sucks. A simpler way to describe it is...I don't know...have you ever heard about the theory of the alien who knew no pain?"

"No, what does that have to do with anything?"

"Basically, if an alien came to the planet that had never before felt pain. Say it also couldn't feel pain. We could explain to it everything about pain; how it happens, what it feels like blah blah blah but at the end of the day it wouldn't actually be able to feel it as a raw human feeling, if ya get what I mean That's what it's like for us. We are made into what we are at a really, really young age, usually about one to six hours after being born. And, I don't know how they do it, but they take our emotions from us to make sure that we can never feel them. But, it's a painful process, a process that we can feel, and as we grow, we are taught that this thing, the only thing that brings out any sort of response in us is in fact...pain. What makes it worse is the fact that we are supposed to be able to feel, but it's ripped out of us before we get a chance. Do you have any idea how frustrating that is. We _hate_ our 'makers' because of it, yet we** have** to stay loyal. The only thing that keeps us going is the promise that as soon as our debts are cleared then, apparently, we get our emotions back. _That's _why we do what we do._ That's_ why we don't care about imprisoning others._ That's_ why we're so loyal to those bast...idiots who call themselves our 'Creators'."

Silence.

"So..." Crow started. His voice sounded strained. "What we have, what I _thought_ we had...is actually nothing. You don't feel anything around me. It's all just an act." His voice was heavy with accusation and...sadness.

Painful as it was to say it she had promised to tell the truth, "Yes, I act as if I've got a clue about what it really means when you hold my hand or call me pretty but...in the end, all I can actually feel is the physical stuff. The contact. My body just can't and won't comprehend emotion of any sort. Though, saying that, some believe that because we act like we can feel stuff, over time, we actually start to believe our own act." She stared guiltily at the floor, "and the sad part is, I don't even feel guilty right now, this is just how I expect you to want me to act in this situation." She slumped in her seat, giving up. Crow turned his head away from her.

"Well obviously you don't feel guilt." Jack's voice demanded answers. "No one who could feel guilt in any way could cut open somebody's throat or wrists while their friends were watching. What was with that anyway?"

"Again, I don't know how it works but it's the way that new people are brought into a new House. The collars work by reading an essence that _they_ push into our bloodstreams. It's stronger than our individual essence and stands out, making it easy to read. When the collars were invented, each leader created an profile that the collars would recognise. It's based off the idea that each essence is different, so in theory, when an altered person is transferred from one House to another, the collar can tell who the new master is, and work out the debt for the new member. When the collars go back around the necks, they read the essence left behind in case of change. What happened back there is the most reliable way of making sure that the collar picks up the new essence. Their necks are cut first to allow the old essence to drain out."

"That's seriously messed up."

"Don't I know it." Sighing, Mikki sullenly continued the story behind Darius. "I was born around the time of the whole...Ener-D thing I think it's called?"

"Zero Reverse" Yusei corrected her gently.

"Yeah, now from what I remember I was pretty damn close to the blast and where I should have...died, I...didn't. Because of Darius."

Akiza butted in as Mikki stopped to think, "you keep referring to a 'debt' you've all gotta clear. What's that all about?"

"Basically, when they alter you for the first time you're apparently 'reborn'. And of course, being reborn isn't cheap, so they force you to pay them back for bringing you back to life even though they're the ones that effectively killed ya off in the first place. Each 'rebirth' costs 1,000 altered people. And, every single time you die, if your debt isn't cleared they bring ya back and add on another thousand, all bought in by duelling. I'm tellin' ya, it's a trap from which I have never seen anyone escape from. I've...died about six times. And each time, your appearance take a hit too. I mean, it's changed as soon as you're altered but the more you die, the further away your identity gets. The further away your look gets from what it should be. Over time, I've worked my way through just more than half of my debt. And as for the Son of/Daughter of, that's just our way of stating who our master is."

"Master?" That got Akiza's attention. "So he like, owns you?"

"Yeah, sucks doesn't it?"

"And the collars, they make you loyal to whoever your 'master' is?"

"No...they're just there for the duelling. The deal is that if your opponent beats you then you go to their House. I've...always been in the House of Darius."

"So you've never lost." Jack didn't sound convinced.

"Ummm, Mikki?" Luna's tentative voice made Mikki look towards her. "Umm, I'm not sure if I was just seeing things back there but...every time you touched a card there was like this little...spark. Is that real? Something to do with your gloves?"

"Yeah, that's kinda why we wear them. The most sensitive parts of our bodies, excluding the obvious, are our fingertips, and we create living connections with everything our fingertips touch. When we due, we take our gloves off so we can feel...connected to our decks. It's a real heart of the cards thing. Only thing is, once they're connected then, we experience their pain as our own, so if they get destroyed then, it hurts. Also, because the cards are made kinda real by it, you take damage from something and...yeah the damage is real."

"So, every time you duel, you get hurt?"

"Yeah."

"Can't you just refuse to duel?" Crow sounded annoyed to say the least.

"No one does."

"Why not?"

"Leave it alone Crow."

"Why?"

"Leave it."

"I just wanna know why."

"Because if you refuse then bad things happen to-" She cut off, painfully aware that she'd revealed too much. Crow gave her a look and walked several slow steps towards her.

"He gave you the scar didn't he?" His voice had gone to new degree of cold, edged with protectiveness.

"I don't wanna talk about it."

"He did, didn't he? I'm gonna kill him. I am actually gonna kill him. He is gonna wish that..."

"That he didn't have to kill you? I mean, he'll like your ferocity and the fact that you're feisty but at the end of the day, you're an obligation, a loose end. And Darius likes his ends tied up." Crow opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it again. "Sorry, I just, I've never told anyone about this before. I should go, don't really wanna give anyone nightmares."

"Before you go." Bruno spoke for the first time since they'd got back. "If you're not human then what are you? A zombie? I know you said altered but is that what we call you?"

"Something like that. And as for the zombie, kind just with less of the whole 'brains' thing. Really we don't really have a permanent name. I just call myself either an Altered or a Shell 'cause that's what I am. I gotta go now."

"You gonna be around tomorrow?"Yusei asked, "I could use a hand, given that sign up's tomorrow and I need to do final checks."

"You sure you still want me here?"

"Sure, so...see ya tomorrow."

"Umm ok. Bye." She started pushing her duel runner out of the garage.

"Wait up, I need to talk to you." Crow joined her, and they walked out in silence. Checking that no one was listening, Crow turned to her. "So, what are we gonna do now?"

"It's really up to you. You know I can't feel emotions so if you wanna be in a relationship that's deep and emotional then...I'd completely understand if you wanted me to leave." Her voice was sure. But he thought he saw something else within her eyes, he could see how much she wanted him, _or wants you to think she does, _his mind whispered. He ignored it, taking a risk.

"You say you create a living connection with anything your fingertips touch?" He needed clarification first.

"Yeah, why?"

"Take your gloves off."

"What?" She looked startled.

"I wanna be connected to you in any way that I can be. I don't wanna lose you Mikki. And if you make a connection with me, you'll feel what I'm feeling. you'll know what it feels like. So, take them off? Please?"

Although slightly stunned, she did as he asked, putting her helmet on the seat of the runner and pulling the gloves off, tucking them into her pocket. She slowly held out her hands to him. Hesitantly, he took them in his, entwining his fingers with hers. The rush was electric at first, as everything within her rushed eagerly to meet him. Eventually, it calmed into a warm glow that both comforted and amazed him. He looked at her, taking in everything for what felt like the first time, the way the purple in her left eye perfectly went with the blue. The way her hair shone in the light of the street lamps. The way that the scar added character to her face. He was glad that it was there, otherwise he didn't think he'd be able to look at her face. It was just too perfect, for him anyway. Her breathing. Her scent. Her pulse. Everything overwhelmed him. He never wanted to let go. She breathed hard and leaned in towards him. "I know everything that you're feeling, hell, it's amazing." She tightened her grip on his hands.

"I know." He gasped, "I never want to lose you Mikki. Not now, not ever." With that, he reluctantly lifted one of his hands away from hers. He didn't want to, but he needed a hand free for what he was planning next. Gently, he pulled her face to his and kissed her, long and deep, sliding his hand from her face to her hair, entangling it in her loose waves, his other one still holding hers. Going on instinct, she cupped his face with her own free hand. They stayed that way for what could have been moments or hours. When they eventually parted, Crow held onto her hand, unwilling to let go. Smiling softly, she slowly pulled her hand from his, allowing her fingertips to catch on his just before the connection severed.

"I'll be back tomorrow. I promise."

"OK."

"Crow?" He looked up at her, "Thank you. For everything."

He couldn't do anything else but watch as she put the gloves on, climbed onto the runner and drove away.


	8. Sign up

Yusei had pulled an all-nighter, unsure of Mikki's word that she would return. Somehow though, despite not having slept, he wasn't tired. Instead he felt more awake than he had for the past week, probably due to the events of the night before. Although a little freaked out he wasn't actually that bothered by the whole 'altered' thing. Confused, yes. Worried, maybe but scared? No. She did what she had to in order to survive, and he didn't blame her for it. There was no choice in the matter and he understood that. Everyone understood that. Granted the twins were a little on edge but no one had turned against her.

Eventually, the familiar sound of Mikki's runner approached. He flicked the switch to open the door and she slipped inside. Once inside, she reversed the runner into its usual space and removed her helmet. The sequence struck a sense of deja vu, given that it was pretty much exactly what had happened when they had first met her. Only this time, when she turned to face him, there was an absence of the warmth in her eyes that had illuminated her face. Instead, they were flat and expressionless. _She doesn't need to hide any more behind a wall of fake feelings_, he realised quickly. He could feel her eyes scanning his face, looking for any hint of hatred or disgust. He kept his face straight, refusing to let the things she was looking for appear. With a small sigh, she gave up.

"What needs doin'?"

"I need to check the stability of the new program and make sure everything works as well as it possibly can. Also, if it's alright with you, sometime later I wanna wire up your runner and get a feel of the technology you're using."

"Sounds good, what'ya want me to do?"

* * *

They worked in silence for about an hour. Now Yusei didn't mind silence, often it made a nice change to the tedious banter between Jack and Crow, but this silence was deafening, awkward. Mikki offered nothing by means of conversation and gave the shortest answers possible when he tried to talk. He hated it, but Mikki appeared not to notice. Another fifteen minutes pushed him over the edge.

"Will you please say something, anything. I hate this silence." He retorted in frustration.

"What do you want me to say Yusei? Huh? This was clearly gonna be a problem. It always is. No one ever treats any altered the same after they know." Her voice was cold.

So that was the problem. "Alright let's clear this up now. I. Don't. Hate. You." He paused after every word to emphasise his point. "All of this make no difference to me. I'm not gonna start treating you differently just because you're not the same as me. As far as I see it, you're still the same Mikki that you were to me when I first met you. I'm not disgusted. I don't hate you. I..." He trailed off.

"Really?" Her eyes were cold. "You don't care that when I duel people, I duel to imprison them so I can one day walk free? You don't care that if or when I win I cut the throats of the losers?" Her voice remained at the same icy calm level. "You don't care that in reality, I don't and can't actually give a crap about Crow, someone who's your best friend, your brother even? Someone could come out from behind him and stab him in the back and it wouldn't actually make the slightest difference to me. I can't care Yusei. You mean to tell me that you're absolutely fine with all of this?"

"Yes, I do. Honestly, it doesn't bother me. At all. You're still the same person that you were when I first met you." He met her scowl with a defiant, level headed glare. "Yeah, it annoys me that you and Crow can't be together in the way that you should be but he's a big boy now. He's capable and determined to make his own decisions, damn the consequences. 'Cause that's what Crow does, act first, think later."

"You're an idiot." She said in disbelief. "A nice one, but an idiot all the same." She smiled as she said it, and Yusei sensed that he'd made his point.

"Now can we PLEASE get on with this, and actually talk while we're doing it? Like normal people do?"

"I'm not normal but sure, what d'ya wanna talk about?"

Peace restored, they both relaxed, fluidly moving into conversation. Time passed quickly after that. Runners checked, program tweaked and stable, Yusei turned his attention to Mikki's runner. He'd never really paid much attention to it before so he took a minute to examine it. It was jet black, trimmed with gold and the edges of it had been sharpened to fine points. The seat looked specially designed for her. In his mind's eye, he could imagine her lowering herself and becoming one with the shape of the bike. It looked fast. Built for speed.

"Does it pass your inspection." Her voice was light.

"Yeah, actually. You build this?"

"Yep. I knew exactly what I wanted from a runner and none of the ready made ones measured up."

"It's good. Looks fast."

"It is. I'm kind of a speed junkie. Two speeding tickets in the past year."

"Oooh, rebel." He mocked lightly. "But seriously this is good."

"It bloody should be. I spent six months rummaging through dumps and junkyards, another three building it and a month sorting out the program. Then I had to wait until I was actually old enough to drive it." At Yusei's questioning glance she added, "I started building it when I was twelve."

"Geez. You knew what you wanted to be didn't you? You sure you don't mind me plugging it in and having look?"

"Go ahead. You can't change the program, just look at it. I was paranoid about losing it so I kinda went mad on security. Thumb scanner, voice recognition, password, PIN, you name it, that runner has it."

He grinned before attaching the cable to the bike and opened the laptop as the screen whirred into life. He studied the design and visually checked the systems. "You weren't kidding were you?" He tried to make sense of the seemingly endless lines of code. It was complicated, even for him. Bruno might be able to understand it but not him.

"I made a program for every part, system and function and then another one to bind them all together. Took a while."

"This...looks...good. It'll do for the tournament."

"Can I just ask why you're entering? I mean, you saved the world and won the WRPG. What more do ya want?"

"This is different to the WRPG. We duel in teams so..."

"So, when this is over, you'll be able to say that you're the best tag duellists as well as the best single duellists? Geez...wish I had the energy to enter competition after competition like that." She smiled again. "God, I think I actually prefer acting like I have emotions. It's easier. Because I've acted for so long, it just feels...for lack of a better word, normal for me."

"I understand. So..you and Crow?"

"What about us?"

"You still together? I didn't see him when he came back in last night."

Mikki blew several flyaway curls out of her face. "Yeah. We're still together. It's only because of him though. He worked out that if I could make connections with inanimate things then I should be able to make connections with living ones as well. Held hands without my gloves for the first time. Ever. Seriously, I've never let anyone touch my bare hands before except Darius. And that was just some freaky-ass theory he had about loyalty. Didn't work. But with Crow..." She leaned back, "it was so different. It actually felt like it meant something and...oh God, what am I saying? This is what he's done to me Yusei."

He grinned at her, laughing fondly. The moment was interrupted by the clock outside, striking three times before falling silent. "Three already?" He didn't know where the time had gone, "sign up' at four. I better call the guys and make sure they haven't forgot that we've all got to be there." He reached for the phone. "Can you call Crow and Bruno? I'll get Jack and ask Akiza if she can travel with the twins."

"Yeah, that's why you wanna call her." Mikki chuckled under her breath then reached for her own phone, typing in Crow's number. She got his voicemail, and left a short message before trying Bruno. He answered, and promised he'd be there in time.

Meanwhile Yusei had got through to Akiza, and was in the middle of pretty long conversation with her. Mikki stifled another laugh, unsuccessfully. Yusei looked up and quickly ended the conversation. "She'll be there, as will the kids." He paused. "Is there something funny?"

That set her off again, "No..." She clamped her lips together to stop another fit of giggles. Then her face turned serious. "Umm Yusei? Can I tell you something?"

"Sure,what's up?"

"I lied. Yesterday. Physical pain isn't the only thing I can feel."

"You can feel something else?" His attention focused on her.

She paused before continuing. "Yeah...Fear." His questioning look coaxed more out of her "Think about it. You're a little kid who's just been taken away from your family. Of course you're gonna be scared." She paused again."Shall we set off?"

"Yeah, let's go."

"And Yusei? Can you not tell anyone, especially Crow. He'll just freak out."

"I promise I won't."

"Thanks. Let's...let's go."

* * *

They arrived at Goodwin's mansion. Why they couldn't have signed up at the party the day before was beyond her but, oh well. Goodwin had always worked in mysterious ways that were, usually, pretty harmless. Excluding the whole 'take over the world' thing of course. But then again, anyone who hired a creepy clown guy as an assistant was bound to be a bit strange. She sighed internally. Lazar wasn't that bad. Take off the make up and lose the patronising attitude and he wouldn't be such an annoyance to her. Sighing again she readjusted herself. They'd been waiting for the past half an hour for any indication of what was happening and it was clear that she wasn't the only one getting annoyed. But she soon would be unless Jack shut his mouth.

Thankfully, before Mikki was put behind bars for murder, Goodwin's voice rang out over the crowd. "Welcome everyone once again. Tonight is the official night to sign up for the most prestigious Divine Token Cup which begins tomorrow."

"Prestigious my ass." Mikki muttered, "get the hell on with it." Crow smothered a chuckle.

"Each team will be given a number. One by one the numbers will be called and the team will be invited upstairs to my office, where the necessary paperwork will be completed. Also, there will be a full debriefing of the rules for those who have forgotten since yesterday. Until you are called, you are invited to stay and enjoy the rest of the night. However, if there is anyone that cannot afford to stay and wait there are several marshals floating around the room who will be glad to relay your urgency to me. I will then ensure that you get an earlier meeting. That is all, I shall see you again when you are called."

"Great." Crow dragged out the 'a' sound. "More waiting."

"And more of Jack's incessant complaining. Also great."

* * *

Finally, _finally,_ they were leaving. It had taken Goodwin two hours to get to their team, all for a ten minute meeting and a few very cynical comments from Lazar about Leo and Luna's age. All anyone wanted to do was go home and sleep. Unfortunately, fate decided that they had to get through one more thing before they could rest.

"Well look who it is. Good to see ya bros."


	9. Fightin' Talk

"Well look who it is. Good to see ya bros." Three people walked up to the group.

"Whadd'ya know. Should'a guessed you three would be here." Crow grinned.

"You're kiddin' right? Why would we miss this. Yeah, you may have gotten the best of us at the Grand Prix but we're back to settle the score." He pulled his hands into fists, as if he was already gearing himself up. Confused, Mikki looked towards the people she knew for some indication of what the hell was going on. No one offered up an explanation so she returned her gaze to the three. One of them, most likely the leader, noticed her and smiled.

"Please accept our apologies. You don't know who we are do you?" Mikki shook her head so he continued, "we are the former members of Team Ragnarok, this is Dragan and Broder. I am Halldor. It is a privilege to meet you..." He held out his hand and looked at her, expecting an answer.

"Mikki." She put her hand in his and let him raise it to his lips, where he kissed it gently, as a gentleman would. "Hey, Ragnarok? Like the battle from the Norse mythology in which the gods will die?"

Halldor looked at her approvingly, "you know your mythology well." He'd released her hand by this point. The other two were looking at her now, examining her. Although her eyes were on Halldor, she could feel their gazes upon her. She ignored it.

"Kinda have to. My whole deck is based on myths and legends so...it wouldn't be proper to use the cards without first having an idea of where it came from."

"Quite." He paused and studied her, "I haven't seen you before, how do you know the group?"

"Friends with most of them, girlfriend to one."

"Which one? Please tell me it's Jack." Dragan, she assumed, had gotten over the shock of seeing her scar and leaned in towards her grinning widely in anticipation.

" 'fraid not. It's Crow."

"Cool." The other one, Broder, chipped in. "Gotta say though, never actually thought you could get one." He addressed Crow teasingly.

Jack crossed his arms. "None of us thought he could."

"Can somebody tell me why everyone's picking on me?" Crow whined. They all laughed. Something then occurred to Crow. "Hold on. The teams have got to have even numbers right? So who are you with?"

"Ya got us. We teamed up with the guys from Team Unicorn. Together, we're gonna win this."

"Yeah right." Jack smirked and folded his arms. "Team Crimson is gonna follow the success of 5ds and wipe the floor with the competition. So bring it on!"

"Don't worry, we will." Broder mimicked Jack's smirk before returning his eyes to Mikki "Cool scar, where'd ya get it?"

"Since I don't know you, I'm gonna say ex boyfriend." Confusion swept over Broder's face.

"It's complicated." Yusei amended. "Something for another night."

"Speaking of night, I'm goin' home. Be at the garage for about nine?" Yusei nodded. Then, despite Crow's protests, she kissed him quickly on the cheek and uttered quick goodbyes to the rest of the congregation before revving up her runner and slipping away into the night.

"So..." Broder stared after her, "she seems alright. What's with the accessories though?"

Yusei responded, "again...it's complicated."

"All right, I get it."

"So, do you know who you're up against in the first round?" Akiza changed the subject.

"Some rookie team who didn't even qualify for the WRGP. No challenge at all. You guys?

"Someone called Team Anarchy."

"Never heard of em."

"Us neither. Don't think it'll be a challenge."

"Of course it won't be." Jack, as usual, interrupted.

Dragan grinned at Jack's impetuousness "Well, you guys just make sure that you get through. We wanna rematch, and this time, you're going down."

"I doubt it."

"That sounds like fightin' talk to me."

"It is. And the only thing that we're going to be bringing is your defeat."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"GUYS!" Akiza's outburst got their attention. "Can we save the theatrics for when we actually get to the duel? Seriously, how do you expect to perform at your best when you waste all your energy trash talkin'. Geez, what is it with guys and winning?"

"Fine." Jack remarked haughtily, turning his head away from her. Dragan smiled at her and nodded, holding back a laugh.

Halldor chose the moment of silence to talk, "although it has been a pleasure seeing you again, I have to agree with Akiza. We can argue all night but it will do no good if neither of our teams actually get the chance to duel." The rest of the group nodded and murmured sounds of approval. "And on the note of performing at our best, I think it would be wise to bid each other good night and go our separate ways. A tired duellist will never be able to match one that is fully rested and alert. We shall see you all again soon." With that, Halldor, Dragan and Broder walked away, and soon after the rest of the group said their goodbyes and left, wondering exactly what the next day would bring.


	10. Strike One

The first day of the tournament dawned. True to her word, Mikki arrived on time, complete with her runner, her deck and a sore head. With the eve of the Prix, many had decided to celebrate. The pub across the street from where she lived had hosted to several devout duelling fans who had seen fit to keep the celebrations going well into the early hours. Safe to say, Mikki was not a happy bunny, having already blown up at Jack twice since she'd met up with them. Out of sympathy, they had all agreed to let her be a last resort, although they seriously doubted that they'd need her anyway, given that the team they were facing were pretty much rookies in the world of turbo duelling. Although each person could sub in at any time, the group decided that it might be best to draft pairs before the competition started. After much debate the twins had, reluctantly, agreed that it might be better for them not to duel together. Despite knowing each other's strategies inside out and back to front, they too were still rookies in the world of turbo duelling. However they had significantly perked up when Bruno and Akiza had agreed to pair up with them, Bruno with Leo and Akiza with Luna. That left the four of them. Crow quickly jumped in, immediately pairing himself with Mikki, pointing out that he was the only one that had seen her duel more than just once, even though no one had disagreed with him anyway. Yusei has simply shrugged and agreed to the pairing. He made a point of his own, reminding Crow that unless Team Anarchy were dark horses, he'd be left out of the round and even if he did get to duel it wouldn't be until the end. Spirit slightly dampened, Crow had agreed, despite Mikki's initial protests. Yusei had started to argue but quickly gave up, knowing from experience that it was near impossible to change Crow's mind when he'd decided something. After a few final checks to make sure that the last ten final checks had been accurate, Yusei deemed the runners ready to go and they set off for the competition.

* * *

"It's finally here! Welcome duellists young and old, professional and amateur alike to the Divine Token Cup!" The crowds cheered, filling the dome with screeches of delight of the many fans that had procured tickets. Akiza winced at the noise.

"Can't that MC talk at a normal volume? I know he's using a microphone and everything but he doesn't need to shout. Isn't that kinda the point of a microphone? So you don't need to shout and almost deafen everyone?"

"I guess you haven't been to enough big shot tournaments to become acquainted with the surroundings." Jack held his head up loftily, "this is standard for any competition, and if you can't handle it then you may as well drop out now." Akiza glared at him.

"I'm not saying I can't handle it, it's just loud and annoying and...obnoxious."

"Bit like Jack then." Mikki joked, grinning mischievously at Jack when he turned to face her, disbelief in his expression. Crow bit his lip to keep from laughing. Unsuccessfully. Thankfully, before Jack could respond, the MC decided to give Akiza another blast of headache material.

"Now, please welcome the city's new Directors, who will be overlooking this event as it happens..."

"Nahhh, really? I thought that they were going to record it and watch it afterwards and point out faults then." Crow smiled at her. She could be so impetuous sometimes.

"...Please welcome Directors Rex and Roman Goodwin." He held out the 'oo' and 'i', much to Akiza's annoyance.

"So. What happens now? Unlike you guys I actually haven't been to one of these things before." Jack stared at her and smirked before answering, "in a few minutes we've got to go out there and present ourselves as a team in front of the crowds. Then the line up for the first round is revealed and we go to what's effectively the waiting room and wait our turn. When we actually come out to duel we go to our pit stop area and the first pair take to the track, in our case Luna and Akiza."

"...Right." She blinked and looked back to the crowds. Crow took her hand in his.

"It'll be fine." She didn't look convinced. "I promise." He squeezed her hand before letting it go.

"None of that in front of the audience thank you. They came here to watch the duels, not you two making gooey eyes at each other."

"Trust me Jack if there's one thing you don't need to worry about it's that.."

"Good." At that moment, the MC finally decided to stop bigging up the competition and introduce the contestants. "And now, the moment you've all been waiting for! Let's meet the teams! First up, we say hello to a few familiar faces. Formerly Team Unicorn and Ragnarok, now say hello to Teeeeam Unite!" At the prompt, the newly assembled team stepped up onto the stage, much to the delight of the fans that crowded the stadium in their thousands. One by one the other teams were announced. As usual, they were left until the last. "And finally, another previous team that's come back for another round. Once, they were Team 5D's, now they're back as Team Criimsoooon!" They followed the other teams, stepping out onto the stage to the thundering sound of applause. It took approximately thirty seconds for the cheers to die down, as the crowds noticed the twins. Then the jeering began.

"Hey kids, get outta here! This is for the real duellists."

"Come back when you've finished preschool!"

"This isn't nursery."

"Go home!"

The kids looked around, hurt by the comments. Mikki glowered and murmured, "strike one". Her eyes narrowed and she flicked her hair away from her face, exposing her scar to the crowds, causing an abrupt end to the taunting as the crowd saw something new to criticise."

"What's with the scar?"

"Who does she think she is?"

"Nice face, creep!"

"Take the kids and leave." By now the other teams had turned to stare, both at the twins and Mikki's face. She said nothing, but looked up towards the crowd, pinpointing the person who had said the last audible comment.

"If you're that bothered about the scar then why don't you come down here and duel while I sit up there and yell out everything that's wrong with you?" He didn't move, looking like a rabbit caught in the headlights. She looked victoriously at him "Thought not. Oh and can I give you a tip?" The crowd fell silent again. "If you're going to compliment someone then don't end it by calling the person a creep." She smiled sweetly and continued, "if you keep that up then you're gonna end up with a face like this after women repeatedly slap you and hit you with their bags." An evil, calculating edge seeped into the sweetness of her smile as she considered just how far she could push this. "Unless of course, it's going to be men hitting you." The audience member was stunned and she turned away, adding "and I know that it was an insult, I'm not stupid. I just thought I'd introduce you to a situation where the person you're bullying actually answers back and shows you up in front of everyone instead of rolling over and playing dead." She refocused her attention to the stage as an awkward silence filled the arena. Then, one audience member began to clap, soon followed by another and another, until applause filled the space once again. Stunned applause, but applause none the less.

"And, uhhh, with that, let's find out who's duelling who in the first round." The screen overhead lit up. Icons scrambled wildly before settling into pairs. "It looks like Team United is up against Team Rock. Now sit back and enjoy the first round people!" The other teams retired to the waiting room as the duellists took their places at the start line.


	11. First Duel Part 1

_Note: Sorry for not updating sooner but I've had to research Team Unicorn's and Team Ragnarok's decks as I don't have access to any certain lists naming the cards and the information about them. However, I have come across a description of a pack containing Ragnarok's cards so I will use some of those featured in that deck. Plus, chapters with duels in them usually take a LOT longer to write than normal or 'filler' chapters; for me at least. Also, summer holidays and the days are just a bit "Meh". The cards used will be a mix of those seen in the English dub, those located online through research and some made up, based on the existing cards. Most of Ragnarok cards will be created from Nordic mythology. Unicorn's cards may have been used before but I don't know when or by who._

* * *

**Countdown initiating.**

**Ready. Set. Duel.**

The quartet of duellists revved their engines and took off as the counter reached zero. From Team Unite, Andre and Dragan. From Team Rock, two duellists by the names of Erikk and Niklaus, both new to the concept of turbo duelling. And in true rookie fashion, they made it their goal to reach the corner first, therefore securing the first move for their team.

**"It's on! Now, as most of us are new to the concept of a tag duel tournament, here's a run-down of the rules for this one. Each team, regardless of size, starts off with 8,000 life points. Team mates can take over and substitute in for any other person on the track at any time. However if whoever is out on the field loses 4,000 life point or more, then they have to switch with somebody else on the team. Once a duellist leaves the track, there's no going back. Also, each duel will require two duellists to step up. The only exception to this rule is when there is NOBODY else left to join the field, meaning that the single person still duelling will have to go it alone. Now! Let's start the tournament! Up for Team Unite are Andre and Dragan."** He paused for applause**, "and for newcomers Team Rock we have Erikk and Niklaus. Put your hands together for the first match people!"**

Against two of the top in the turbo duelling field, the Team Rock duet stood no chance. Ragnarok's Dragan reached the turn first, claiming the first move for Unite, closely followed by Andre, clear to have held back to allow his team mate the first move, with the others not far behind.

_(Speed counters-Unicorn and Ragnarok-1)_

"Looks like I've got the first move."Dragan smiled. "So I think I'll start by summoning **Heidrun of the Nordic Beasts** in defence mode(Level 2, Attack-600, Defence-1,000). Now, by sending a card on the field to the graveyard, I can play the trap card **Hel **which means that by sacrificing one Level 2 or below monster I can summon **Nidhug of the Nordic Beasts **(Level 5, Attack-1,800, Defence-1,400) directly to the field from my hand. **Hel** has another effect but you're going to have to wait for that. And now, I think that I'll activate **Nidhug's** special ability, which means that if a monster is sent to the graveyard, the attack and defence points of that monster are added to those of **Nidhug of the Nordic Beasts **until the end of my turn, so, with **Heidrun's **600 attack points and 1,000 defence points, that means that **Nidhug **now has 2,400 attack and defence points. Now I know that I can't attack on my first turn so I'll have to settle for these three face-downs. Your move, but not before my **Nidhug** powers down though. (Attack-1,800, Defence-1,400)."

**"Wow! This is a strong start from Team Unite. If I was in Team Rock right now, I'd be worried."** If the Unite fans weren't cheering before, they definitely were now.

_(Speed counters-Unicorn and Ragnarok-2)_

"My turn." Erikk drew his card, exaggerating the moment slightly, something that didn't go unnoticed to those in the waiting area.

Jack, being Jack, did his trademark arm cross. "Well this guy just wants to be in the spotlight. People who are like that are never good duellists and have no chance of ever making it to the big league."

"Yeah, that's true unless you're an egotistical jerk called Jack Atlas." Crow couldn't help it. He seized opportunities to annoy Jack whenever they came along and he was sure that the comment would hit a nerve. But then Yusei, being Yusei, decided to break up the fight before it started.

"Guys. Eyes on the duel. We could be facing either Team in the future so it might help to know what we're dealing with." Jack glared at both of them, but shut up and returned his attention to the duel instead of replying. The Erikk guy was looking at his hand, deliberating.

"Right. Now I think that I'll summon **Magma Knight** in attack mode (Level 3, Attack-1,500, Defence-1,200). And now I'll..." He was cut off abruptly as, just as swiftly as it had appeared, the monster disappeared. "What happened?"

"Just **Hel's** effect. Once a turn if you summon a monster that has, depending on the mode it's in, fewer attack or defence points than **Nidhug** then **Hel** sends it straight to the graveyard. And then, **Nidhug's **ability activates, meaning that it gains your **Magma Knight's** attack and defence points." (**Nidhug-**Attack-3,300, Defence-2,600)

Erikk frowned and gritted his teeth. He looked back at his hand, Plan A hadn't been tossed aside just yet. "I'm sending the monster **Magma Child** (Level 1, Attack-800, Defence-1,300) from my hand to the graveyard to revive my **Magma Knight**. And did I mention its special ability? No? Well, I'll tell you now. When it returns to the field from the graveyard, it can destroy one card you have on the field, so I think that I'll destroy your **Nidhug**. Go, with Molten Lake of Fury." He flung his arm out as the monster let loose its effect. In the stands, the other members of Team Unite were sitting, confusion and relief mingled with the usual composure of their expressions as they realised just how easy this was going to be.

"And now if I send one card in my hand to the graveyard, I can activate the trap **No Escape** which comes in handy when one of your monsters is destroyed. This card makes it so that you get hit with the attack points of the monster just destroyed. And with 33 hundred attack points, well, just be careful. Remember, you play with fire, then you're gonna get burned."

_Unite Life Points- 4,700_

**"That was a crippling move from Team Rock. Team Unite has just taken a massive 3,300 point hit."**

Satisfied with the move, Erikk considered laying a face down, but his inner arrogance soon won over and he decided against it. "I end my turn."

"Then I'll play this. The trap card **Mirrored Loss.** It pretty much does what it says on the tin. This card mirrors the damage that I took this turn and hits you with the same number of points. Don't burn yourself now." Dragan replied, tauntingly.

_Rock Life Points- 4,700_

_**"Ooooh. That trick seriously backfired on Team Rock. They're gonna have to be careful in future if they want to avoid taking another hit like that."**_

"You know, you could have destroyed **Hel **instead of **Nidhug**. True **Nidhug's** ability is rather annoying but leaving **Hel **on the field means that you can't summon any monster with fewer attack or defence points than **Nidhug's **original total. The ability stands even if **Nidhug** is sent to the graveyard. You're going to have to summon some pretty powerful monsters if you wanna keep 'em on the field." Dragan grinned.**  
**

"Don't worry." Erik taunted. "I was planning to. See unlike you, I don't deal with weak monsters very often. From now on all you're gonna get is the pure molten fury of Team Rock."

"I look forward to it."

_(Speed counters-Unicorn and Ragnarok-3)_

"As do I." Andre drew his card, a plan already forming in his mind. "And now, because I have more than two speed counters I can activate the Speed Spell **Summoning Lag** which allows me to draw a card from my deck for each speed counter I have. Then I can either send it to the graveyard and regain the life points or speed counter that I sacrificed to draw it or, if it's a monster, summon it to the field in attack mode. Only problem is that for every card I draw, I lose either 500 life points or one speed counter. I choose to lose a speed counter for card I draw. Here's the first." He drew the card, studied it for a second and sent it to the graveyard.

_Unite Speed Counters- 3_

"Now, I'll sacrifice another speed counter and draw a second card."**  
**

_Unite Speed Counters-2_

Like before, he studied it. Only this time, he seemed to have found what he was looking for. "Now, I can special summon the monster **Single Horned Goat** (Level 2, Attack-900, Defence-500). But, as soon as it materialised it disappeared, much like Erikk's **Magma Knight** had done the previous turn.

"Well, that was stupid". Erikk gloated, soon joined by his team mate.

"Yeah, you forgot that **Hel **is still in play, and all monsters with fewer attack or defence points than the recently obliterated **Nidhug **are sent to the graveyard."**  
**

"I didn't forget. But I think that you've forgotten that the effect only activates once per turn, so any monsters that I summon from here on out stay on the field. Besides, **Single Horned Goat's **ability activates when it's sent to the graveyard because of a card effect. Now, I can summon any monster from my hand to the field, as long as its level is equal to or below that of **Single Horned Goat**. So, say hello to **Key Mouse **(Level 1, Attack-100, Defence-100)."

"As adorable as the rodent is, I'm gonna play this." Dragan cut in. "The trap card **All-Out Attacks**, which forces all special summoned monsters to attack on the turn that they are special summoned."

Both members of Team Rock were stunned. "W-Why would you play that? That cheese eating ball of fluff only has 100 attack points against **Magma Knight's** 1,500. If you attack then you'll lose life points and have to substitute in two more people in your team." Niklaus stammered.

"Well, in hindsight. It is a bit of a bad move. Or it would be, if I didn't play this. **Damage Prevention**. This trap card reduces all battle damage to zero, once per turn."

Neither Rock member understood, instead saying nothing as **Magma Knight** took **Key Mouse**, which quickly fell to **Magma Knight's** power.

Andre quickly moved on with his turn. "Now, because **Key Mouse** was destroyed in battle, I can add one level 3 or below Beast type monster from my deck to my hand. And I think that I'll summon it. Come forth, **Lock Cat **(Level 3, Attack-1,200, Defence-1,000). Don't worry, she isn't going to be alone on the field for long, because her special effect means that I can summon a Level 1 Beast type monster from my graveyard. So, once again, say hello to that uh 'cheese eating ball of fluff' **Lock Mouse**. But, it doesn't end there, because, when I have two Beast type monsters on the field, I can summon **Chain Dog** **(**Level 4, Attack-1,600, Defence-1,100) from the graveyard. And if you're wondering how it got there, then cast your mind back to **Summoning Lag**. **Chain Dog** was the first card I drew. You remember, the one that I sent to my graveyard? Well, not only did that move allow me to regain the speed counter I lost, but it also set up the field for something much bigger."

"Uhhh, there's something else?" Errik cursed his earlier cockiness as the realisation of his opponent's skill, far greater than his own, hit him.

"Yes, there is. I don't know if you've noticed but** Key Mouse** is a tuner monster."

The penny finally dropped for both Rock members, and Niklaus glanced back at his team mate, worry clouding his expression. "Couldn't you hold off till next turn? I haven't even made a move yet." He whined.

"Sorry but no can do. You do realise that this competition is for the best? Amateurs don't rank here." Message delivered, Andre turned to making sure that the lesson sank in. "And now, I tune my **Lock Mouse **and my **Chain Dog** in order to summon **Thunder Unicorn** (Level 5, Attack-2,200, Defence-1,800). A mighty beast, I'm sure you'll agree. And now...I activate **Thunder Unicorn's **special ability, which reduces the attack points of one of your monsters by 500 for each monster that I control. Now, because I have two monsters, your **Magma Knight's **attack points fall by 1,000. (**Magma Knight**-Attack-500)."

"Wait. Stop. Tha-That's not fair." Errik's face fell.

"This is all your fault you idiot!" Niklaus yelled at his team mate.

"How is it mine?"

"Well, you're the only one stupid enough not to set up a back up plan in case something goes wrong. And, if you're too dumb to notice, something has gone very, very wrong. I didn't even get a turn!"

"Well, SO-RRY, but I didn't exactly expect this."

The crowd hadn't expected it either, but nevertheless they were enjoying it, as were the other teams waiting in the wings.

"Poor sap at the back didn't even get to draw a card." Jack sympathised, but only for a moment. "Then again, Andre was right, this is the big league and if they can't handle it then they shouldn't be here."

Leo and Luna were looking at each other in confusion, having never seen a fight break out among tag-team partners who were supposed to be on the same side. "Uhhh, is this, like, supposed to happen? Shouldn't they be doing something about this?"

Akiza answered, fighting back a smile. "The only person who can really stop this now properly is Andre. All he needs to do is get Thunder Unicorn to attack and both of them will have to leave the field."

"So...why isn't he?"

This time Mikki decided to weigh in, smirking shamelessly at the bickering pair on the screen. "Why would he? This is the most exciting thing that's happened so far in the duel, why ruin it? Besides, even if he does end it, this is gonna carry on when they get back to their team. Not attacking just allows everybody else to watch the show as well."

Crow glanced back at her. "You enjoy watching other people's misery don't ya?"

"Love you too Blackbird." Was her reply, as all attention refocused on the screen where Andre had clearly got bored of the show.

"**Thunder Unicorn**, attack with Super Charger Bolt!"

_Rock Life Points-3,000_

Both Errik and Niklaus were still bickering as the attack landed, continuing as they wheeled off to their pit station to hand the baton over to the next two duellists who quickly sped off onto the track.

* * *

_There. Finally got around to finishing this chapter, which was a pain in the backside. Halfway through writing I suddenly remembered that normal spell cards can't be used in Turbo Duels, which meant I had to re-write half the bloody chapter before I could continue, by which time I'd forgotten half of the cards I'd made up and the effects and cards in play. So yeah, that was useful (not). Hopefully the next one won't take as long but you never know._


End file.
